Congress Impressed by Mobile Medical Apps

As more mobile medical apps are developed, they are finding their way into our government. Recently, the House of Representative's Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Technology held a hearing titled, "Mobile Medical App Entrepreneurs: Changing the Face of Health Care." Mobile apps are uniquely suited to help empower users and reduce costs healthcare costs.

Medical professionals are hoping to open up electronic health records (EHRs) to users. One capability, named Blue Button, provides access to these records to both patients and caregivers. Another application helps manage symptoms and dosage for asthma suffers. A six-month study found that 26 respondents cut emergency room visits from 12, to 0. Not only does this app improve the quality of health for sufferers, it greatly reduces total healthcare costs.

The intent of these applications is clear - increase the knowledge of healthcare information available to stakeholders. Whether it is letting the caregiver know a patient's history, or reminding the patient of when the next dose is due, this custom healthcare information greatly improves the quality of care.

The subcommittee believes that these leaps forward will reduce inefficiencies while improving the quality of care, due to the increases in caregiver and patient education. As these apps enable users to take charge of their health, it will decrease the cost to all of us.

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